


Death Knell

by TheFibreWitch



Category: Prodigal Son (TV 2019)
Genre: Emotional Whump, Found Family Tropes, Gen, Malcolm doubts himself, Malcolm needs many hugs, Themed Murders, Whump, emotional angst, race against the clock, solving murders
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-01
Updated: 2020-06-01
Packaged: 2021-03-03 05:16:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,800
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24465580
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheFibreWitch/pseuds/TheFibreWitch
Summary: The team is faced with multiple murders that seemingly have no connection, but Malcolm has a hunch they are the work of the same person. As they get closer to uncovering the answers, one of their own is taken by the killer, forcing the team to race against the clock before it's too late.
Comments: 4
Kudos: 35
Collections: Prodigal Whump Fic Exchange - Spring 2020





	Death Knell

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ProcrastinatingSab](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ProcrastinatingSab/gifts).



Malcolm stared at the evidence board. He felt like he was on the brink of piecing together a puzzle that was laid out in front of him.

Three victims, two crime scenes. It was the work of a serial killer, Malcolm was sure, but the evidence was scarce.

The first victim was a middle-aged man who was killed by arsenic poisoning according to the toxicology report. The man’s wife had been out of town. Malcolm had profiled the killer as being female, as poisoning usually suggested a female culprit. But the wife’s alibi was corroborated by her lover, whom she had been meeting with on the night of the murder. A few days later, another crime scene puzzled Malcolm. An elderly couple was found in their home brutally murdered. They appeared to have been bludgeoned. The couple had a daughter, but she was in California attending college.

There was no evidence of any connection of the crimes, and the profiles were vastly opposite. Malcolm stood by the evidence board, chewing his lip as he tried to piece together the clues. They were connected and he knew it in his gut.

“Dude, you’re going to chew a hole in your lip,” JT said as he leaned back in his chair. Dani absentmindedly tapped her pen against her notebook. Gil sipped on his coffee. They were waiting for Edrisa with the details on the murder of the elderly couple.

“They’re connected,” Malcolm sighed.

“Are you sure? They seem pretty separate to me,’ Dani spoke up. Gil glanced at her and then to Malcolm.

“She’s not wrong Bright, if there’s no connecting evidence, we’re going to have to bench one of these cases.”

“They’re connected,” Malcolm repeated and looked back to the board. Edrisa knocked on the window.

“Did you guys know the rhyme about Lizzie Bourdon is not accurate?” she chirped as she entered the conference room.

“What is this, a pop quiz?” JT grumbled. Edrisa shot him a look. She ignored his question and continued.

“The rhyme. _‘Lizzie Bourdon took an axe and gave her mother forty whacks; when she saw what she had done, she gave her father forty-one.’_ ”

JT raised an eyebrow, Gil sighed into his coffee cup.

“Yeah, in reality, the Bourdons were only struck about ten or eleven times,” Malcolm distractedly mumbled. Edrisa smiled at him.

“That’s right!”

“Edrisa…” Gil cut in, sounding exhausted, “your point?”

“Oh, the Bakers, they were… um… they were killed with an axe,” She replied, falling somber.

“Axe murderer?” JT scoffed, “That’s a new one.”

“Not new, but pretty rare,” Malcolm mused.

“Axe murder is pretty brutal, and requires some strength, my guess is we’re looking for a male killer?” Dani inquired. Malcolm kept chewing on his lip.

“But at the first crime scene I profiled our killer to be a woman,” Malcolm furrowed his brow.

“That’s if the murders are connected Bright,” Gil pointed out. Malcolm shook his head.

“Maybe it’s a couple? Two killers?” Edrisa supplied

“No, this feels like an individual to me,” Malcolm said.

A knock on the door interrupted the team. An officer poked his head in.

“Lieutenant? Your team is needed at a crime scene. Three bodies from what first responders can tell. Burned in an abandoned warehouse.”

Gil set down his coffee mug and sighed again.

“Let’s go.”

\----

_White City Insolation Co._

The letters were fading on the side of the building. The smell of fire was still heavy in the air.

“What have we got?” Gil asked a nearby officer.

“Arson and homicide. We found three bodies. Though they weren’t terribly burned, it’s still pretty gruesome.” A shadow passed over the officer’s face. Malcolm wandered towards the ruins.

“The killer is leaving us messages now,” he called back to the group.

“Yeah? And what’s that?” JT asked.

“The Devil in the White City,” Malcolm replied.

“The what now?”

“Herman Webster Mudgett, also known as H. H. Holmes, was one of America’s prolific serial killers. He operated in a hotel in Chicago during the 1893 World’s Fair. He killed hundreds of guests in his ‘Murder Castle’. He was a medical student and found different ways to kill his victims; suffocation, gassing, setting people on fire. He’d then sell the bodies to medical schools as cadavers. It’s very fascinating,” Malcolm rambled.

“Right, only you could say that about a serial killer,” JT gave a short laugh.

“We found some ID, it shows that they might have been foreign exchange students studying abroad,” an officer said as he approached the team.

“Can you tell me what started the fire?” Malcolm interjected.

“Fire Chief says it looked like a gas pipe was routed into the room where our victims were and it’s possible it was used as the accelerant.”

Malcolm’s eyebrows raised.

“Gil, that’s our connection!”

“Bright, how does a gas fire, an axe murder, and arsenic poisoning connect?” Gil asked incredulously.

“That sounds like the start of a bad joke,” JT mumbled to Dani, she rolled her eyes.

“I just don’t follow. Your profiles are all over the place, how could you think these are connected? There isn’t even a signature.”

“There is, and that’s the key,” Malcolm insisted.

“Lieutenant, we found something else. They each had visitor badges to a New York Public Library branch not far from here,” an officer informed, “They were there yesterday.”

Gil nodded.

“Alright, it looks like we’re going to the library.”

“And I know just what to research,” Malcolm grinned.

\----

The small branch library was quiet and peaceful. Malcolm always loved libraries.

“Alright, JT, Dani, talk to security and see if they remember issuing ID badges to our exchange students. Bright and I will check at the circulation desk,” Gil instructed. They nodded and went their separate ways. Malcolm and Gil approached the desk as a woman about Malcolm’s age sat behind it, reading a book.

“Ah, ‘ _The Mysterious Card’_ ,” Malcolm broke the silence. The woman startled and gave a slightly annoyed look to the men in front of her. Then she quickly flashed a smile, remembering she was on duty.

“Checking out?” she asked.

“Not yet, but I was wondering if you happened to have any books on murders in the late 19th century? Perhaps those regarding Herman Webster Mudgett?” Malcolm flashed a smile back at the woman.

“Ah, we do, but unfortunately that book was just checked out yesterday by a group of students. Would you like me to put you on a hold list?” she said without hesitation, glancing at her computer.

“That’s actually why we’re here,” Gil cut in. The woman looked up at him. “My name is Lieutenant Gil Arroyo with the NYPD and this is my consultant, Malcolm Bright. We have some questions about those students.”

“Were they foreign exchange students?” Malcolm asked. The woman pondered for a moment and then nodded.

“I believe so, they had visitor badges,” she said slowly, “why? Are they in trouble?”

“Not quite -,”

“They’re dead, murdered,” Malcolm cut Gil off, his tone hard. The woman paled.

“Well, that’s very unfortunate,” she said, her hands gripping the counter to balance herself.

“I apologize for my consultant’s bluntness,” Gil sighed and slid his business card across the desk, “I’d appreciate it if you could find time to come in to answer some questions tomorrow. I can see my partner has upset you.”

“Of course, my name is Josephine by the way. Josephine Ambrose.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Ms. Ambrose. I hope you enjoy the rest of your story; the ending is a little shocking,” Malcolm said as Gil shot him a sharp glance.

“You got to stop blurting those things out Bright,” Gil growled through his teeth as they walked away from the circulation desk.

“Hey boss,” Dani greeted as she and JT met them in the lobby, “Security showed us the tapes and recalled the students, but there was nothing out of the ordinary.”

Gil scrubbed a hand over his face.

“Alright. Well let’s call it a night, get some sleep,” he looked at Malcolm, “and come back tomorrow with a fresh set of eyes.”

Malcolm frowned but nodded.

“Good, see you all tomorrow,” Gil gave a small smile.

\----

Malcolm couldn’t sleep. What else was new. If he slept, his father haunted him. If he was awake, the case haunted him. He felt trapped in his own mind. He laid in bed staring at the ceiling. He knew the cases were connected but Gil was right, his profile was in shambles, and he wasn’t even fully sure if the killer was male or female. The poisoning suggested female, while the axe murder suggested the opposite. He also was sure it was the work of a single individual, but the whole case was a contradiction. He glanced at the clock, it read 4:37 am. He closed his eyes and sighed heavily. Pulling the covers off he stood and decided to get ready for the day.

At the sound of his movement, Sunshine began chirping.

“Good morning,” he smiled at the little bird. As he walked past her cage something on the floor caught his eye. A slip of paper was sticking out from under his door. Slowly he bent and picked it up. It was a small card, no bigger than a playing card.

On one side, a bell was embossed. On the other side a sentence read:

_“Prepare for Death and follow me.”_

Malcolm dropped the card as ice ran through his veins. Then regaining his composure, he rushed to leave.

\----

JT and Dani were already at the precinct when Malcolm arrived. Dani paced around the conference room with a puzzled look on her face. JT leaned against the wall; his arms crossed.

“I got a weird note last night,” Malcolm announced as he entered the room.

“We did too,” JT said, his tone dour. Malcolm noticed the two identical cards on the table.

“Do you know what this means?” Dani asked him.

“I’m not really sure, let me see those,” he reached for the cards. Laying all three out he frowned as he read them out loud:

“ _As you are now so once was I_

_As I am now so you must be_

_Prepare for Death and follow me”_

Malcolm flipped the cards over to reveal they each had the same bell he saw on his.

“Where is Gil?” he breathed.

“Dunno, his shades have been drawn since we got here,” JT shrugged.

“His car is here too, maybe he’s sleeping? Spent the night working on the case?” Dani supplied. It wasn’t unusual for Gil to do that, but something felt off. The cards felt like an omen. Malcolm approached the office and knocked. No answer. He tried the door, it was unlocked. Opening the door wider he found the office was empty. Panic clawed at his neck.

“JT, check his car for clues. I think Gil was taken,” Malcolm managed to instruct.

“How do you know that?” Dani questioned. JT left without a word.

I think our killer realized we were getting close. Uncovering too much,” Malcolm chewed on his thumb.

“Bright, where is Gil?” Dani stressed. JT had returned, looking upset.

“This was on his windshield,” JT said grimly, he handed over a fourth card. Its sentence read:

“ _Reader beware as you pass by”_

Instead of a bell on the opposite side, however, there was an image of a coffin.

The breath left Malcolm’s lungs.

“What? What does it say? Dani asked in a panicked tone. Malcolm looked at her, unable to find the words.

The telephone in Gil’s office began ringing. The trio slowly turned to look at the phone. In a haze, Malcolm moved to answer the phone.

“Hello,” he whispered as he brought the receiver to his ear.

“Hello, is this Lieutenant Arroyo?” a familiar voice chirped over the line.

“Um… no, he’s… unavailable. This is Malcolm Bright.”

“Ah, Mr. Bright. Sorry to hear the Lieutenant isn’t there. Oh, I want to let you know that I finished my book. The ending was quite _surprising_ , just as you promised,” the voice turned somber, “Say, did you and your team enjoy your own mysterious cards?”

Malcolm’s fingers went numb as he gripped the phone harder, “Josephine?”

“I have a question Mr. Bright,” the librarian continued, “Do you happen to know how long a grown man can survive being buried alive? I think you’ll find the answer very… _surprising_.”

The line went dead. Malcolm dropped the phone.

“Bright? What is it?” JT inquired.

“What’s wrong?” Dani’s eyes were wide.

“Gil…” Malcolm squeezed his eyes shut, this was a nightmare, he would wake up any second now. He needed to wake up, he needed Gil.

“Malcolm!” Dani shouted, bringing him back to reality. His eyes snapped open, it wasn’t a dream, he was living the nightmare. He sank to the floor.

“Buried alive,” was all he could manage to say.

“What? Where!” JT demanded.

“I don’t know,” he couldn’t look at them, “We have approximately six hours to find him if she just did it.”

“She? Who is she? Where do we look? There must be some clues!” JT urged frantically. Malcolm stared blankly.

“Oh, we do not have time for this. Edrisa!” JT huffed and ran off to find the M.E.

“Bright. Bright, you need to listen to me. You need to focus, Gil needs you.” Dani grabbed his arm. “Gil needs you!” she insisted.

Malcolm closed his eyes again. All he could see was Gil’s smiling face as he pressed a piece of candy into Malcolm’s hand.

“ _You’re a real hero. Don’t you ever forget it.”_

A tear slipped down Malcolm’s cheek. He opened his eyes to see Dani staring back at him, her eyes were full of concern and panic.

“We need you Bright,” she whispered. He nodded and stood up.

“Let’s get to work.”

\----

**_5 HOURS_ **

“Okay, our killer is Josephine Ambrose, she is in her 30’s and works as a librarian in the NYC Public Library system. She dropped out of college but has an interest in knowledge and history. We can connect her to the murder of the exchange students and possibly the other killings.” Malcolm took a breath, “She has taken Gil and he… only has a few hours left to survive.”

“We have some clues,” Edrisa piped in, “The phrases on these cards are from a European Epitaph known as “ _Pass by_ ”. It hasn’t been used for many years so we should focus our search in an older cemetery.”

“Josephine seems to have an interest in late 19th century murder and death. Arsenic, imitation of the Lizzie Bourdon murders, imitation of H. H. Holmes, and now, premature burial,” Malcolm informed.

“She wants us to find him,” he added softly, “and we will.”

“What about the cards? Other than the epitaph, what clues do they give? What’s with the bells?” JT asked.

“There are three bells, is that important?” Dani added.

“I think the bells are alluding to the “Death Knell,” Malcolm said.

“A bell that marks the dying or death of a person,” Edrisa supplied.

“Historically, there are three bells rung when someone is near death. The first is to mark the dying, the second, popularly known as the “Death Knell” marks the actual death, and the third announces the burial.” Malcolm furrowed his brow in thought.

“Three bells could mean… he’s…” Edrisa trailed off, with tears in her eyes.

“No! She wouldn’t have told me about what she did if he was already…” Malcolm couldn’t bring himself to say it.

“Three bells? Like Trinity? Trinity Church has an old cemetery,” Dani interrupted. Malcolm looked at her and nodded.

“There’s our lead,” JT said as he stood up.

\----

**_3 HOURS_ **

The team rushed around the grounds of the church, looking for a sign. They didn’t find anything. A few visitors watched as they scoured the cemetery.

“He’s not here,” Malcolm mumbled as his chest tightened. He gasped for air. He wasn’t a hero; he was a failure. He failed Gil.

“Would he be here?” JT puzzled, “I mean, this place is crawling with tourists all the time, how did she get him here without anyone seeing?”

Malcolm doubled over.

“We’re too late, we were wrong,” he sobbed. He wanted the earth to swallow him whole.

“We still have time. Come on,” Dani encouraged, but her voice betrayed her as it shook with the threat of tears.

Malcolm glanced around feeling helpless. He took notice of the crowd of people. His eye caught a bystander, who turned away abruptly.

“She’s here!” he roared. He took off after the fleeing woman. JT and Dani sprinted after him. The three ran out of the churchyard onto the sidewalk.

“I see her!” Dani called out as the woman rounded the corner, Dani wasted no time in her pursuit. The woman glanced back, a mistake that would prove consequential, and collided with another person. Dani lunged and landed on top of Josephine. In one swift motion, Dani whipped her cuffs out and placed the suspect under arrest.

Malcolm approached the woman breathing heavily on the ground.

“Where is he?” Malcolm’s voice was cold. Josephine laughed.

“I knew you weren’t as smart as you thought you were.” Her eyes glinted playfully. Malcolm wanted to scream.

“Where. Is. He?” he ground out. Josephine closed her eyes and smiled.

“Can you hear the bells, Malcolm? They’re ringing.”

“Shut up,” JT snapped. He grabbed her up and handed her to a nearby officer. “Take her away.”

“I’d hurry,” she called as she was escorted away, “only a few hours left for your precious lieutenant!”

“We’ll find him,” Dani tried to reassure. It wasn’t helping.

“How?! We have no time! He could be…” Malcolm choked on his words.

“He could be dead, Dani.”

She looked away from him.

“Don’t say that. He never gave up on you when Watkins had you,” her voice was strained.

“It’s hopeless, I failed,” Malcolm resigned miserably.

“Hey! None of that,” JT snapped. He walked over to the downtrodden man.

“We have time. I don’t want to hear you quitting on Gil or this team ever again. We got your back and you have ours. Now use that freaky smart brain of yours and think. I know you can do it,” JT softened and squeezed Malcolm’s shoulder, “You can do it.”

Malcolm nodded.

“Alright. At this point we have less than three hours,” Malcolm stated. “She didn’t take Gil here, but she was waiting for us. She knew this would be where we looked. So that gives validity to our theory about Trinity.”

“Or she purposefully misled us. She is a serial killer,” Dani frowned.

“No, she enjoys the game. She wants us to possibly succeed because that means we could also fail,” Malcolm pointed out. Dani nodded.

“Man, people are nuts,” JT scoffed.

“What you said JT, about it being too crowded, you were right. It doesn’t make sense that he would be here. She would need space and privacy…” Malcolm trailed off, deep in thought. Suddenly his eyes widened.

“Oh! I’m an idiot!” he cried, “Trinity Church is correct.”

“But you just said…”

“They opened another cemetery in Upper Manhattan once this cemetery was full. It’s called ‘Trinity Church Cemetery and Mausoleum’. That’s got to be it!”

Dani let out an anxious laugh as JT clapped Malcolm on the back.

“What did I say? I knew your freaky brain would figure it out.”

\----

**_1 HOUR 45 MINUTES_**

When they arrived, there were already large search parties gathering. Sniffer dogs were given the scent of Gil. They whined and pulled against their leashes, anxious to begin the search.

“There’s a lot of ground to cover,” JT whistled.

“And not much time,” Malcolm added grimly.

“Well then, let’s get to it,” Dani said and started walking.

“Keep your eyes open, we’re looking for loose dirt, large piles of leaves, signs of a struggle…”

She nodded and continued her search.

They surveyed the land, growing more anxious with each passing minute. They worked their way into a wooded area of the cemetery, but nothing stood out as suspicious.

“Are you sure this is the place?” JT dared to ask.

“Of course!” Malcolm snapped, “Where else -.”

“Shh!” Dani hissed. They all froze.

“Do you hear that?” she whispered.

Malcolm strained his ears. He could hear the search parties in the distance, the wind in the leaves above them and… a small melodic tinkling.

“Is that a… bell?” JT asked.

_Do you hear the bells, Malcolm? They’re ringing._

“It’s a safety coffin!” Malcolm exclaimed. A surge of adrenaline shot through his body.

“A what?” JT asked as he searched frantically for the direction the sound had come from.

“A safety coffin was used in the Victorian Era because so many people were wrongfully pronounced dead then accidentally buried alive,” Malcolm explained as they tore through the underbrush. The ringing was closer now.

“There!” Dani pointed as the sun glinted off a small bell on a post. It no longer made a sound.

“Gil! Gil, we’re here!” Malcolm screamed and threw himself to the ground. He began clawing at the earth frantically. JT brought over a shovel and began digging as fast as he could while Dani ran to get help.

“Gil! Hang on!”

The bell remained silent.

Minutes passed. Malcolm’s heart pounded in his chest. Two more officers assisted with digging. Dani pulled Malcolm up out of the way.

After what felt like years, a shovel connected with the sound of a box. The dig team worked feverishly to clear away the dirt. Someone with a crowbar cranked open the lid.

Gil lay inside the coffin, dirty and motionless. His hands were bloody and raw.

“Gil!” Malcolm’s voice cracked.

“I need oxygen down here!” an EMT called.

The officers worked Gil’s body out of the coffin and onto a stretcher as they raised him up out of the hole.

“I got a weak pulse,” the EMT announced. Malcolm let out a breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding. Dani sighed in relief. A dirty JT wandered over to them and sat down hard on the ground.

“See?” he panted, “You did it Bright.”

“We did it,” Malcolm corrected. “You had my back and I had yours.”

JT nodded in agreement. The group of EMT’s working with Gil thinned out. Malcolm took this opportunity to walk over to the stretcher.

“Gil, it’s okay. We found you. You’re okay,” he grabbed the older man’s hand and held onto it. “It’s going to be okay.”

Gil laid there, his stillness frightened Malcolm. Malcolm closed his eyes and squeezed Gil’s hand.

“Malcolm?” Gil croaked. Malcolm opened his eyes. Gil was squinting against the sunlight. A tear slipped from Malcolm’s eye.

“It’s going to be alright,” Malcolm repeated as the stretcher was loaded into the ambulance.

**Author's Note:**

> This was such a fun event, I'm so happy I could participate with my fellow writers from the Prodigal Whump Discord Server. They have been the biggest cheerleaders in my writing process and I'm so grateful for them. <3


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